By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh
Dialog reporter
Noel Ellerton at the athletics centre of GBC’s St. James campus. Photo: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh / Dialog
If you love sports, you have to love comebacks.
Returning this season, after a gap of little more than three years, to play for the Huskies men’s soccer team is the all time leading goal scorer for George Brown College (GBC), Noel Ellerton.
Ellerton started playing for Huskies in 2007, when he played only two games in the whole season. For the next two seasons he amassed a staggering 38 goals in 30 games, scoring on an average of 1.27 goals per game. This feat won him athlete of the year for GBC in 2008 and 2009. It also made him the second all-time goal scorer in the history of the OCAA.
Things seemed to be going well when tragedy struck. His father passed away due to a heart attack while his mother had already died due to cancer when he was 12 years old. The incident left him on his own.
“Those were tough times, but I guess we have to deal with it and move on in life”, said Ellerton.
Ellerton left school in difficult circumstances and secured a job with a construction company where he has been working full time for the past four years. The Huskies striker is now back to complete his third year of the construction and engineering program at GBC and is set to be the first person in his family to graduate from college.
While he was away from GBC, he played for the Toronto Celtic Football Club in the prestigious Provincial Elite League and performed well for them. Additionally, he helped Huskies soccer coaches Richard Kriwan and Lucky Boothe in training the boys.
Shifting focus this season, the left forward player is hoping to help the Huskies make it to the top two teams at the OCAA and advance to the nationals that will take place in November in Vancouver.
“The team is shaping up pretty well, with a good combination of veterans and youngsters. The prospects are looking good”, said Ellerton who is also the co-captain of the team.
Pointing to the facilities provided by GBC to its players, Ellerton said that it is a lot better than previous years. Earlier, physiotherapy came with a fee of $70, while it is free these days. They did not get uniforms or tracksuits during his past stint with GBC, but today the scenario has changed and players get more assistance, which is good for their development.
Showing his commitment to the Huskies, Ellerton said, “I love playing for GBC. I have had a lot of individual success in my life. Now, I want the whole team to do well. The coaches Richard and Lucky have really worked hard for the team, and we should reward them with some wins under our belt.”
Ellerton suffered an injury in the first game against Fleming College, spraining his ligament in the knee.
He missed the game against St Lawrence, which was eventually postponed due to rain, but was back against Durham on Thursday.
